I was a complete non-swimmer from childhood and did not start learning to swim until I was 28. I always practiced in a 1.4-meter-deep training pool, and when I lived in Hong Kong, the swimming pool near my home was shallow at both ends and deep in the middle. I would still feel a little panicked every time I reached the middle, so for the past few years, I had never dared to swim in a deep pool.
Recently, I went to the pool near my home and found that it had only a 1.2-meter-deep training pool and a 2-meter-deep pool. The training pool was mostly filled with children, and when it was crowded, there was no way to swim properly. So I summoned the courage to try the deep pool.
Before trying it, I looked up some safety tips, stayed close to the edge while testing the depth, and practiced treading water a few times. Then I began swimming along the side. When I finished all 25 meters in one determined push, I clung to the edge of the pool, stared at the “2 meters” sign above, and started grinning. It was the joy of finally succeeding in challenging myself, taking control of myself, and discovering my own potential.
Four years after learning to swim, I finally overcame my fear of deep pools. I used to think it would be easy to sink in a deep pool, but the opposite turned out to be true: the buoyancy is actually greater in a deep pool, making it harder to sink. With just a little treading, I would float back up.
Later, it occurred to me that life is often like this too. We frequently imagine small difficulties to be enormous, replay the consequences countless times in our minds, frighten ourselves, and ultimately build our own prisons. “Rise to the challenge” is easy to say, but when we actually face difficulties, we still instinctively choose to remain in our comfort zones.
Only then did I understand why being a risk-taker was one of the IB learner profile attributes when I was earning my IB teaching certification. The willingness to take risks runs counter to human instinct and must be developed through practice. So the next time I encounter a difficulty, I will push myself forward and encourage myself to try, to fail, and then to grow.
May we all be a little braver than we were yesterday, because those who are brave can experience a bigger world.